Unpredicted Entrepreneur Episode 95: Surviving Year One: Lessons from New Business Owners

“We're so different. If you built us from the ground up right now, you couldn't make us any more different than we are. Yet, we make great business partners because we have a common goal. One of the things that I always try to coach people on, when I'm talking to them about leaving corporate America and considering owning a business, is their WHY. It seems kind of trite, but it is about the WHY. 

What are you trying to get to? What is your bigger goal, and what are your values? That's how we tried to approach deciding on a business when we worked with you. You gave us four wildly different opportunities to look at through FranNet, which I thought was pretty amazing. I was like, ‘man, you couldn't have made these any more different if you built 'em from the ground up.’ But then, we made our decision based on what aligns with our values and what aligns with where we are going. It wasn't only about what Greg's good at or what I'm good at, or what he's passionate about, or what I'm passionate about. It was more about what serves the bigger goal for us as a family and the legacy we want to build.

If your WHY isn’t big enough, business ownership likely won’t happen for you. Passion and skill only take you so far—you need a reason that keeps you going when things get hard. Greg and Gayle chose their business not solely based on interests, but on what aligned with their values and the legacy they want to build. That clarity gave them direction and staying power. If you’re exploring franchise ownership, start with your WHY. Without it, you risk building someone else’s dream in your next job, instead of owning a business that fuels your life.

We cover many current and relevant topics. A few include:

◈ Working through the start-up phase when it’s slower than you’d like

◈ There’s more to owning a business than simply replacing a paycheck

◈ How important it is to have a strong WHY when considering business ownership